Changes in operations at the Rio Verde Fire District top the news from the Verde Communities for 2011. This summer Rural/Metro posted an ambulance rescue unit in Rio Verde for the first time. This means that patients do not need to wait for ambulance transportation coming from another area. In March, Fire Chief Gary Bradbury outlined the ambulance plan for the Fire District Board. Bradbury explained that a fire department or district cannot simply bring in and equip an ambulance on its own. The Arizona Department of Health Services issues what is known as a Certificate of Need (CON) for ambulance services. “One company has the CON for this area, it is Southwest Rural/Metro,” Bradbury said. However, most of the Southwest and Rural/Metro ambulances use only EMS personnel to man them, not firefighters. Bradbury said part of the agreement is to upgrade the ambulance for Rio Verde as a fire rescue unit with firefighters manning the vehicle. Bradbury said the model for such manning is not new. He said it is similar to what Southwest Ambulance did with the Apache Junction Fire District a number of years ago. In this case Rural/Metro would provide the ambulance and equipment, as well as an EMT/firefighter. Under the proposed agreement, the district would provide the location to house the ambulance unit and sleeping quarters for an additional crew member. The second person manning the ambulance would be a paramedic/firefighter employed by the district. The benefit to the district would be an additional firefighter/EMT on duty at no additional cost as well as the much improved response time. Part of the agreement to bring in the ambulance will require improvements to the Rio Verde Fire Station. In November, the Fire Board approved a construction contract for the $477,000 station upgrades to accommodate the ambulance crew. That requires the addition of sleeping quarters for one Rural/Metro employee who is manning the ambulance with one of the existing district personnel. Plans also call for the addition of a 2,000-squarefoot building. Bradbury has outlined for the board the need to have additional storage space and a bay to park the district’s wildland fire engine. That engine currently is parked outside, which Bradbury calls unacceptable for a $300,000 piece of equipment. Bradbury said storage is always a critical challenge for fire departments. He had previously told the board there are items stored in proximity to the fire station living quarters that should not be there. The project calls for an exhaust ventilation system to remove diesel fumes. Bradbury is also asking that laundering equipment for the turnouts to be installed. He said over the long term this would be cheaper than having to send the coats and pants out for cleaning. There would also be additional storage for supplies and equipment and a maintenance/workshop area in the new addition. A third component of the project is the installation of an emergency generator at the station. Several board members indicated their surprise to learn that as the only emergency facility in Rio Verde the fire station does not already have an emergency generator. The cost of the generator is about $75,000. Construction is expected to begin on the addition very soon. Another highlight for2011 was both the Rio Verde and Tonto Verde communities’ efforts to be recognized as Firewise Communities. Rio Verde stepped up its commitment first made in 2010 by acquiring additional grant funding for fire danger mitigation projects. Tonto Verde came on board by organizing residents to pursue the Firewise requirements, but as of the end of the year had not gained official recognition.